Sparking-igniter-adjusting device for explosive-engines.



. m aim-as. PATEN'I'ED MAY 1, 190a .T:-. B. JEPFBRY. I SPARKING IGNITERADJUSTING DEVICE FOR EXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

APPLIQATI N FILED maze, 1905.

UNITED [STATES A TENT orrron THOMAS B.- JEFFERY; F K'E'NosHA, WISC NSIN.SPABKING-lGNlTER-ADJUS'l'lNG.DEVICE FOR EXPLOSIVE-IENGINES-Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1, 1906,

Application filed March 20,1905. Serial it. 251.168;

1'0 ail; whom itmay concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS B. J EFFERY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kenosha, in't'he county of Kenosha and State of Wlsconsin,have-invented new and useful Imgovements in Sparking-Igniter-Adjustingevices for Explosive-Engines, of which the followin is a specification,reference being had to t e accompanying drawings, forming a partthereof. 1 The purpose of this invention is'to provide an improvedmechanism for regulatmg the be l-crank lever a link timelof sparkingor'ignition in an explosive- 1notor,-soas to adjust the sparkin W1threlatiioni to the amount of supply 0i explosive It consists of thefeatures of construction set out in the claims.- r

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of a motor-car anddriving mechanlsm equlpped with my invention. Fig. 2 is a detall sectionat the/line 2 2 on Fig. 1.

Upon the vehicle-frame 1 the motor 2 is mounted in any suitable mannerand is supplied with the ex'plosive'motive fluid through a pipe 2,thesupply being controlled or regu, lated by the supply-valve 3. This valveis controlled at will by the operator, the mechanism for that purposecomprising the rocking wheelor hand-lever 4, which ispivoted for rockingon the standard 5, in which thesteering-shaft 6 is mounted andjournaled, having at the upper end the steering-wheel 7 A link 8 fromthe rocking handle 4 extends down to one arm of the bell-crank lever 8fulcrumed on the lower bearing of thesteerin -shaft 6, and from theother arm of said 9-extends across the vehicle and is connected with onearm of a bell-crank lever 10, of which the other arnris connected by alink'l 1 with the lever-arm '12 on the stem of they valve 3, theconnections being ada ted to cause the valve to be operated for c osingby rocking the hand-wheel 4 downward at the side at connected.

The contact making and breaking device for producing the igniting sparkmay be of ant well-known construction, provided it invo ves (as isusual) two contact-making points, of which one is on a rotating part andthe other on apart which is adjustable about the axis of the rotatingfor each the contact-making 'the' position at which the which the link 8is part, so as to vary the point in the rotation at which the contact00- curs. In the construction illustrated the rotatingupart is the cam13*, carried on a shaft b 11' ch is driven in the customary manner y t eshaft so as to have one completerevolution complete cycle of the enginesaction,

engine, being geared with the mainbeing two revolutions of themainshaft. The

adjustable spring-arm 14 which is mounted on an insulating-block 14 onthe arm 14. Fromsaid arm 14 aflexible cable 15 extends around a suitableguide 15 to the same arm of the bellcrank lever 10 which is connected bythe link 11 with the supply-valve 3, the arrangement of the uides beingsuch that'the movement of the ell-crank lever for closing the valvedraws'on-the cable and when the cable is,

taut moves the arm 14 in the direction to re tard ignition by settingthe contact-point 14 farther ahead in the path of rotation of thecontact-point on the rotating cam 12. A spring 16, connected with thearm 14 and the in the direction for advancing the ignition; A link 17,connected with the frame-bearing, has a slot 17*, in which a stud 14 onthe arm frame 1 of the vehicle, operates to retract itv 14 plays asthearm 14 is rocked, the length of the slot being adequate. for the fullrange of rocking movement required of said arm 14 ,for chan in the ointof i nition from most advance to most retarded position.

When the valve-moving mechanism is operated foropening the valve,startingfrom valve is closed and the-sparking device set for mostdelayed ignition, the cable 15 is taut, and the first portion of theopening movement of thevalve permits the arm 14 to be retracted byadvance the ignition gradually ofmotive fluid increases. 'hen the actionhas proceeded so far that the stud 14 reaches the limit of the slot- 17in the link 17, the sparking-point is at most advanced position andfurther openin movement of the valve slacks the cable without changingthe sparking-point. When the valve-moving devices .are operated forclosing the valve, such clos mg movement continues to tllt extentncccssaryfor taking up the slack of the cable before any change- 111 thesparking-point is part is the lever-arm 14 mounted for swinglng aboutthe shaft 13 and havlngpoint 14, carried on a the spring to as thesupply' made. The purpose and effect of this range of adjustment of theparts is to delay the ignition correspondingly to the. diminutionof vthe supply of motive fluid after such diniinution has already been madeto the point for .moderate power. This makes it possible to keep theignition-point advanced to' the position for getting the maximumexplosive effect from a given moderate quantity of motive fluid, sothatadequate power may be obtained even at slow speed-for certain work, asclimbing grades, in which high speed is impracticable, but a largeamount of power is requisite, and it also makes it possible to re ducethe spee p the combination of two causes operating imultaneously: .towit, (a) diminution. of the quantity of explosive fluid and (b). aretarding of the i nition, so that a higher )ower can-be obtained at theslow.

speed t an if-the reduction of speed was effected either by reducing thecharge alone or by retarding the ignition alone, since if the reductionof the charge alone were relied upon for reduction of the speed thecharge would be liable tobecome so Weak as to'be non-explosive', and, onthe other hand, if retarding of the spark alone were relied upon the[reduction of compression at the instant of sparking might render thecharge non-ex'plosive;. but by changing both the charge and the point ofsparking an effectively-explosive charge can be retained and exploded atthe low s eed. j

. I -c aim I I '1'. In anexplosive-engine' incombinatio 7 with a valvefor controlling the supply of motive fluid, a contact makin and breakingde vice comprising a rotatab 0 element and an adjustable element;movable devices for operating the supply-valve; a flexible cableconnecting the said supply-valve-operating devices and the adjustableelement of the contact device, and a uide about which the same asseslocated; or causing said adjustable e ement to be moved positlvely indirection for delayed ignition by the valve-closing movement of thevalve-operating devices,

be movedin direction for advanced ignition by the valve-opening movementof the valveoperating devices; a spring for retracting the saidadjustable element upon -the .reverse 1 in said retracting movement ofthe adjustab le element. Y

3.- In an explosive-engine in combination with a valve for controllingthe supply of motive fluid, a contact making and breaking devicecomprising a rotatable-element and an adjustable elementfi'neans foroperating the supply-valve at will; a s rin for 'ieldin l holding saidadjustable e lemznt at the lii iii t of its'range ofmovement foradvanced ignition, and connections between said adjustable element andthe valve-operatin means operating by pulling to retract the ad ustableelement against the action of the spring in the movement for closing thesupply-valve.

4. In an explosive-engine in combination with a valve for" controllingthe supply of motive fluid, a contact makin and breaking devicecomprising a rotatab e element and an adjustable element; means foroperating the holding 'saidacljustabl'e element at the limit of itsrange or movement for advanced igniti'o'n and connections between saidadjustable element and the valve-operating means o eratingby pulling toretract the adjustable e ement' against the action of the sprin in themovement for closing the supply-Va ve, said connections being adaptedto' yield so as to be'inoperative in pushing.

movement of said devices, and a stop limit- 6 5 supply-valve at will;a'spring for yieldingly In an explosive-engine in combination with a vave for controlling the supply of motive fluid, a contact making andbreaking device comprising a rotatable element and an adjustableelement; means for operating the supply-valve at will; a spring foryieldmgly holding said adjustable element at the limit of its range ofmovement for advanced igni ti'on', and connections between saidadjustable element and the valve-operating means operating by pulling toretract the ad ustable element against the action of'the sprin in themovement for closing the supply-Va ve, said connections being adapted toyield so as to be inoperative in pushing, the range of movement of thevalve-operating connections for opening and "closin the valve beinggreater than that of said a justable device,

and the connections being arranged to cause the valve to be closed whensaid adjustable element is at the limit of its movement for delayedignition.

6. In an explosive-engine in combination with a valve for controllingthe supply of motive fluid, a contact makin and breaking devicecomprising a rotatab e element and an adjustable element; means foroperating the supply-valve at will; a spring for yieldmgly retractingsaid adjustable element to the limit of: its'range of movement for mostad vanced ignition, and a flexible cable connecting said element withthe valve-operating means adapted to operate by pulling on saiadjustable element against the action of its Chicago, Illinois,- this30th day of January,

"spring in the valve-closin movement, and to A. D. 1905.

J hold said element. at the imit of-its' range of movement for delayedignition whenthe g valve is closed. WVitnesses: 1 In testimony whereof Ihave hereunto set i K. E. JEFFERY,"

any haniin the presence of two Witnesses, at l CHAS. S. BURTON.

THo's; B. JEFFERY,

